Implants or suture fasteners including heat bondable materials which are heated using lasers or other energy sources may be used to connect the implant or suture fastener with other implants and/or with bone. When heated, the heat bondable material softens (e.g., melts) into a surrounding bone material. In cases of poor bone quality, however, the softened portions of these devices may be unable to produce an adequate anchorage in such bone material.
Suture fasteners having a heat bondable material that may soften an area of the fastener surrounding the suture may have further disadvantages. For example, the suture may also melt, the suture may migrate in the softened fastener and the mechanical stability of the suture fastener may be adversely affected.